Gabon – France: One step closer to a new military partnership

Gabon and France are inevitably considering a new chapter in their common military history after more than 60 years of cooperation in the field. Things are becoming clearer with the audience granted on March 14 in Libreville by the President of the Transition, Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, to the Special Envoy of President Emmanuel Macron in Africa, Jean-Marie Bockel. The two personalities discussed the new form that Paris wants to give to its military cooperation.

General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema receiving the Personal Envoy of Emmanuel Macron in Africa, Jean-Marie Bockel. © Com. presidential

As the personal representative of President Emmanuel Macron, former French minister and former Secretary of State, Jean-Marie Bockel, was received on March 14 by the Gabonese president, president of the Transition, General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema. A meeting within the overall framework of the renewal of partnership between France and African countries. This is particularly relevant in the case of military cooperation with Gabon, as Paris has been considering reducing the number of French troops in the country for a few months. Those numbers could decrease from the current 380 French military personnel to around 200.

Regardless, the meeting was an opportunity for the French emissary to discuss with the head of state a revision of this multisectoral cooperation between the two countries, particularly in the military domain. ” I am in Libreville today at the request of the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron. Therefore, I am a personal envoy to study, in close consultation with the Gabonese authorities, the future of our military partnership,” said the former French minister.

Jean-Marie Bockel explains that ” this approach is part of the overall framework of the renewal of France’s partnership with African countries“. ” I have just had a very interesting meeting with the President of the Transition. I am pleased with the quality of our exchanges. We had enough time to really delve into all the issues between our two countries,” he told the press.

The communication from the Gabonese Presidency reveals that ” for both parties, the goal will be to strengthen exchanges in a spirit of trust and co-construction, dialogue and listening, in an approach that will benefit our respective peoples“.

Announced by Emmanuel Macron on the eve of his tour in February, in four countries in Central Africa (Gabon, Angola, Congo, and the Democratic Republic of Congo) and a few months after the announcement of the end of the counterterrorism operation Barkhane in the Sahel, the project to restructure military cooperation between France and African states through the ” reduction of French military personnel in Africa and a new model of partnership” was reiterated on May 8, 2023 concerning Gabon by the former commander of the French Elements in Gabon (EFG), General François Xavier Mabin.

Therefore, Emmanuel Macron’s personal envoy in Africa is tasked with explaining to African countries hosting French bases (Gabon, Senegal, Ivory Coast, and Chad) the reasons and modalities of these upcoming adaptations and redeployment of the French military-diplomatic apparatus, while listening to their needs in terms of training, cooperation, and equipment.

To this end, the French authority, accompanied by the French Ambassador to Gabon, Alexis Lamek, will meet during his stay with the heads of institutions, economic actors, and civil society to nourish a shared reflection for a dynamic win-win partnership.

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